"Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" -Ephesians 5:19-20

"And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;
Saying, Blessed [be] the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.-Luke 19:37-38

I attended a weekend (ok..part of it as I missed the other days-Thursday night, Friday night, and Saturday morning; however, I attended the Robin Mark concert Saturday evening) conference on "worship", which I was "challenged" in this part of my "Christian walk". It was hosted by True Bridge (connected with my local church) at City Hill in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. What inspired and motivated me to take my Friday off from work was to see the main speaker-Robin Mark (of Ireland). Ironically, the night (Thursday, April 23rd of 2009) before-I was at a "high electric energized" "worship rock" concert by neighboring-Hillsong London (see England) in Willmar, Minnesota! Robin shared about how the first two "Ten Commandments"-"worship no other gods before me" and "not make any other idols"-deals with the "obedienceWhat Are We Singing: The Days of Elijah
Eva Marie Everson
Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer)...

" Hoshea Last King of Israel (2 Kings 17)
1 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned nine years. 2 He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him.
3 Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up to attack Hoshea, who had been Shalmaneser's vassal and had paid him tribute. 4 But the king of Assyria discovered that Hoshea was a traitor, for he had sent envoys to So [a] king of Egypt, and he no longer paid tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year. Therefore Shalmaneser seized him and put him in prison. 5 The king of Assyria invaded the entire land, marched against Samaria and laid siege to it for three years. 6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the Israelites to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River and in the towns of the Medes.
Israel Exiled Because of Sin7 All this took place because the Israelites had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of Egypt from under the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped other gods 8 and followed the practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before them, as well as the practices that the kings of Israel had introduced. 9 The Israelites secretly did things against the LORD their God that were not right. From watchtower to fortified city they built themselves high places in all their towns. 10 They set up sacred stones and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree. 11 At every high place they burned incense, as the nations whom the LORD had driven out before them had done. They did wicked things that provoked the LORD to anger. 12 They worshiped idols, though the LORD had said, "You shall not do this." [b] 13 The LORD warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers: "Turn from your evil ways. Observe my commands and decrees, in accordance with the entire Law that I commanded your fathers to obey and that I delivered to you through my servants the prophets."
14 But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked as their fathers, who did not trust in the LORD their God. 15 They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their fathers and the warnings he had given them. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although the LORD had ordered them, "Do not do as they do," and they did the things the LORD had forbidden them to do.
16 They forsook all the commands of the LORD their God and made for themselves two idols cast in the shape of calves, and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the starry hosts, and they worshiped Baal. 17 They sacrificed their sons and daughters in [c] the fire. They practiced divination and sorcery and sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking him to anger.
18 So the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence...

I would read more about this while I was getting my tire change after the conference that Friday afternoon. I noticed a pattern when the Israelites did NOT obey

" 1 In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother's name was Abijah [a] daughter of Zechariah. 3 He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done. 4 He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called [b] Nehushtan. [c] )
5 Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. 6 He held fast to the LORD and did not cease to follow him; he kept the commands the LORD had given Moses. 7 And the LORD was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. 8 From watchtower to fortified city, he defeated the Philistines, as far as Gaza and its territory....

"15 When they had assembled their brothers and consecrated themselves, they went in to purify the temple of the LORD, as the king had ordered, following the word of the LORD. 16 The priests went into the sanctuary of the LORD to purify it. They brought out to the courtyard of the LORD's temple everything unclean that they found in the temple of the LORD. The Levites took it and carried it out to the Kidron Valley. 17 They began the consecration on the first day of the first month, and by the eighth day of the month they reached the portico of the LORD. For eight more days they consecrated the temple of the LORD itself, finishing on the sixteenth day of the first month.
18 Then they went in to King Hezekiah and reported: "We have purified the entire temple of the LORD, the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the table for setting out the consecrated bread, with all its articles. 19 We have prepared and consecrated all the articles that King Ahaz removed in his unfaithfulness while he was king. They are now in front of the LORD's altar."
20 Early the next morning King Hezekiah gathered the city officials together and went up to the temple of the LORD. 21 They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven male lambs and seven male goats as a sin offering for the kingdom, for the sanctuary and for Judah. The king commanded the priests, the descendants of Aaron, to offer these on the altar of the LORD. 22 So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests took the blood and sprinkled it on the altar; next they slaughtered the rams and sprinkled their blood on the altar; then they slaughtered the lambs and sprinkled their blood on the altar. 23 The goats for the sin offering were brought before the king and the assembly, and they laid their hands on them. 24 The priests then slaughtered the goats and presented their blood on the altar for a sin offering to atone for all Israel, because the king had ordered the burnt offering and the sin offering for all Israel.
25 He stationed the Levites in the temple of the LORD with cymbals, harps and lyres in the way prescribed by David and Gad the king's seer and Nathan the prophet; this was commanded by the LORD through his prophets. 26 So the Levites stood ready with David's instruments, and the priests with their trumpets.
27 Hezekiah gave the order to sacrifice the burnt offering on the altar. As the offering began, singing to the LORD began also, accompanied by trumpets and the instruments of David king of Israel. 28 The whole assembly bowed in worship, while the singers sang and the trumpeters played. All this continued until the sacrifice of the burnt offering was completed.
29 When the offerings were finished, the king and everyone present with him knelt down and worshiped. 30 King Hezekiah and his officials ordered the Levites to praise the LORD with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with gladness and bowed their heads and worshiped. ...

"... 20 This is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah, doing what was good and right and faithful before the LORD his God. 21 In everything that he undertook in the service of God's temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered.

".. 24 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. He prayed to the LORD, who answered him and gave him a miraculous sign. 25 But Hezekiah's heart was proud and he did not respond to the kindness shown him; therefore the LORD's wrath (e.g. prosperity of an economy) was on him and on Judah and Jerusalem. 26 Then Hezekiah repented of the pride of his heart, as did the people of Jerusalem; therefore the LORD's wrath did not come upon them during the days of Hezekiah...
*see GoodnewsEverybody.com Life- Forgiveness, Repentance, Sorry?, etc...

Chris Tomlin - Happy Song (987 part 11 of 11), from youtube.com"Music video with Chris Tomlin soundtrack. 987 is a joint activity of worship, play presentation, and preaching of the Word by the Young Adults, Second Wind and Youth Ministry. "

"Chris Tomlin and his band teaching his new song God of This City for piano on New Song Cafe! www.worshiptogether.com " STORY BEHIND THE SONG: Chris Tomlin's "God of This Cit.., from ccmmagazine.com""We were recently in Belfast, Northern Ireland for a concert. The night consisted of a great line-up of worship bands. One of the bands that night was local, and they were called Bluetree. Daniel was thankfully paying close attention when they went into this song, “God of This City.” He immediately came to me and said that I had to hear it. When I did hear it, I knew that it was a timely song and that it would be perfect for the journey we were about to undertake with Passion. And after hearing how the boys of Bluetree wrote the song, it is no wonder why this song is full of power. Turns out the song was written in a bar/brothel in Padia, Thailand. When the owner of the bar found out the lads were a band, he asked if they wanted to play, and the Bluetree boys were up for it. Now that’s worship leading! Proclaiming the grace of God in the middle of a brothel... Sounds a lot like Jesus to me. Aaron Boyd of Bluetree told me that in the middle of their set of songs, this song just spontaneously birthed. God put this powerful lyric on their lips in that moment…"greater things have yet to come and greater things are still to be done in this city." They graciously allowed me to record it, and it became the title track to the current Passion CD and the name of our 17-city Passion World Tour. What a statement to proclaim in the cities of the world!" –Chris Tomlin"
*see GoodnewsEverybody.com Thai of Thailand Outreach & Multicultural
Songs:Chris Tomlin - I Will Rise, from youtube.com

" Worship is one of the core foundations of Gateway Church. Our songs and music connect the local church with God in a greater way.
We are a local church committed to extravagantly and passionately expressing our love to our Lord and Savior. God is worthy of our highest and our best.
We believe that God inhabits the praises of His people. We desire to clearly sense and experience God's presence every time the church gathers. We want to connect intimately with Him and hear His voice so that more of His character and nature can be found in us!
Gateway Worship, as a whole, is made up of an amazing team of worshippers who give of their time and lives to seeing God be magnified! "
"Revelation Song" - Gateway Worship, Song led by Kari Jobe

*referred by a brother in the Lord (John N. on May 6th of 2009) "Revelation Song" , from .lyricstime.com"
Worthy is the, Lamb who was slain
Holy, Holy, is He
Sing a new song, to him who sits on...
Heaven's mercy seat

"
9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!See, your king comes to you,
righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
10 I will take away the chariots from Ephraim
and the warhorses from Jerusalem,
and the battle bow will be broken.He will proclaim peace to the nations.
His rule will extend from sea to sea
and from the River[b] to the ends of the earth.
11 As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit.

12 Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope;
even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.
13 I will bend Judah as I bend my bow
and fill it with Ephraim.
I will rouse your sons, Zion,
against your sons, Greece,
and make you like a warrior’s sword....

-Movie

Palm Sunday

"From the Movie "The Gospel of John""

palm sunday

Palm Sunday Lamb

"Download at http://www.shiftworship.com With the simplest images possible, this brief worship video tells of the triumphal entry of Christ, the Lamb, from a unique perspective and with a surprising and poignant ending. A thoughtful introduction to the
Passion Week. Video produced by Shift Worship."Passion (Palm) Sunday Procession -Psalm 24, from Godtube.com

"..6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek your face, God of Jacob.[b.."-Psalm 24

Related Sites:
Palm Sunday Video

-Teachings
Palm Sunday: Why is it Significant?

"Something significant was taking place when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey; what was it?"Exodus 12
The Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread"....3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb[a] for his family, one for each household. 4 If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. 5 The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. 6 Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. 7 Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. ...
*see GoodnewsEverybody.com Religion: Judaism, Hebrews/Israelites, Torah, Bible-"Old" Testament, etc...

"Christians celebrate the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, the week before his death and resurrection. For many Christian churches, Palm Sunday, often referred to as "Passion Sunday," marks the beginning of Holy Week, which concludes on Easter Sunday.
The Bible reveals that when Jesus entered Jerusalem, the crowds greeted him by waving palm branches and covering his path with palm branches. Immediately following this great time of celebration in the ministry of Jesus, he begins his journey to the cross.
The biblical account of Palm Sunday can be found in Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-44; and John 12:12-19.

"
1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away."

4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

5 "Say to Daughter Zion,
'See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’"[a]

6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

"Hosanna[b] to the Son of David!"
"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"[c]
"Hosanna[d] in the highest heaven!"

10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?"

11 The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."

People Wave Palms, dltk-bible.com"..God loves us, we are sinners and need forgiveness from God, and He needs to become central in our life. Sometimes diagrams work to illustrate the point to older children. There are booklets with more detail at any local Christian store, online, or just ask your pastor. Remember this is the most important decision - and prayer goes a long way!..

"Listen to the story behind the song at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5ljV_RA0CM
See the fans' reactions:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksl8VToALZo

Lyrics:
We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
And all the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel you near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if each promise from Your Word is not enough
And all the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win, we know
That pain reminds this hearts,
That this is not, this is not our home.....
It's not our home

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?

What if my greatest disappointments,
Or the aching of this life,
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy.
What if trials of this life,
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise?"
Laura Story - "Blessings" Story Behind The Song

"I was thinkin' the other day,
"What if cartoons got saved?
They'd start singing praise
In a whole new way..."
Well, I was thinkin' the other day,
"What if cartoons got saved?
They'd start singing praise
In a whole new way..."

Prayer

""I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me."-John 17:23

When the Praises Start - Christian Music Video

"sung by Keith Green...
video of Christians around the world praying..."

"Kris Allen performed his rendition of "Falling Slowly," the Oscar-winning ballad from the 2007 indie flick "Once." Guest-mentor director Quentin Tarantino said he could tell it was picked because the movie meant something to the singer 23 year old Kris Allen. Kris Allen hails from his home town of Conway, Arkansas.
Kris Allen performed the song "Falling Slowly" from the 2007 movie "Once." The Academy Award-winning song by Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova is No. 18 on iTunes' Top 100 songs; the soundtrack is No. 4 on the Top 25 Soundtracks chart.
I know you music producers are listening as is all Hollywood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Bel Air as well as the whole United States of America. If your not listening, then your fools. "

"LOS ANGELES, CA / CONWAY, AR (ANS) -- More than 100 million votes were cast in the American Idol final to catapult a Southern hometown Christian worship leader to stardom against a West Coast glam-rock guyliner who seemed to have the title all sewn-up from early days of the competition.
American Idol 2009 competition winner Kris Allen
In the end, America voted for quiet,mild mannered 23-year-old acoustic rock singer Kris Allen from Conway, Arkansas, who seemed shocked at the announcement by Idol host Ryan Seacrest at the season eight finale at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles.
The underdog singer, who beat out the expected favorite, rocker Adam Lambert, looked stunned at the announcement that he had won the competition, saying: "I'm sorry, I don't even know what to feel right now. This is crazy," as he leaned on program host Ryan Seacrest to keep from staggering.
Allen is the worship pastor for the Chi Alpha campus ministry location at University of Central Arkansas and at New Life Church in Conway and Little Rock, Arkansas.
According to Peter Elliott, a veteran news and sports journalist who writes the www.Everydaychristian.com blog, and who enjoys interviewing others about how God works in their lives and sharing that with readers, ministry colleagues describe Allen as "humble, compassionate and dedicated to God."
Elliott says American Idol finalist Kris Allen is a humble young man with a heart for Christian service according to two pastors who know him well.
Allen's rise to fame joining Danny Gokey (also a worship leader outside Milwaukee, Wisconsin), Adam Lambert and Allison Iraheta in the Idol final four brought plenty of attention to Conway -- population 52,000 -- and the UCA campus.
Amid the excitement, Allen, 23, has used his faith and his marriage as cornerstones, Elliot writes.
"I think he's doing really well," said Matt Carpenter, 34, UCA Chi Alpha director and an ordained Assemblies of God pastor. "This is probably the biggest challenge he's faced, but I know him and (his wife) Katy and they are both dealing well with it.
"Kris is a guy who takes a lot of things in stride. He's not too dramatic."
Allen advanced out of the 'Idol' Louisville audition round and tried out along with his brother, who encouraged Kris to participate.
Elliott says Allen gained perspective on his faith by traveling on Chi Alpha mission trips to Spain, Morocco, Thailand, Mozambique and South Africa.
"Especially for the ministry here at UCA, we have done a lot of mission trips," Carpenter said. "We feel it is a deep core value to reach out to the poor and oppressed at all ends of the Earth, and I know this is what in Kris' heart too. "God gave Kris a heart for compassion and empathy, and to reach out to others."
Allen had been playing part-time at New Life before taking on a more permanent performance role in August 2007, said the church's worship pastor Brandon Shatswell. Fellow finalist Gokey is also a worship musician, hailing from Faith Builders International Ministries in Milwaukee, Elliottwrites.
"It's weird to think just last June he talked about going to do this," Shatswell said. "As soon as he said that, because of his talent, I knew his time here was going to be very, very limited.
"For a while he was able to come back and forth (from California). He is a really, really great friend and on the selfish side, sure, I'd like him to come around and sing and play with us. I know he has expressed to me that he just wants to be doing good music in whatever contract he is a part of."
Carpenter said Allen has returned to campus to help with worship even while he has been in Hollywood.
"Kris is an incredibly humble guy," he said. "He has led worship for us for years. He is not like a lot of worship leaders who tend to be prima donnas where it's half about his own spirituality and half about God's glory. Kris has always used his talent not to get glory for himself.
"When he tried out, it was more just to spend time with his brother than anything else. He has handled it with a lot of humility. From a faith standpoint, the show really has nothing to offer him that he doesn't already have. He has an incredible relationship with God and with his wife. He has great people around him and he uses that as a source of strength."
Elliott writes that Shatswell has seen the faith component in play as well.
"I think Kris and his family are mindful of their faith and it's definitely at the forefront," he said. "There have been situations arise with money provided for the family to travel and just the overall support. It has been an amazing time."
Carpenter also noticed a difference in local support for Allen of people who know him well as opposed to those who may be riding a popularity bandwagon.
"I think it's interesting for at least the people I know that know Kris well is that it's neat, and they support him, but it's not at some fanatical level," he said. "Part of this is just wanting what's best for Kris. Whether he is a star or not he's still my friend.
"Once you get a little distance away where people say, ‘I know someone who knows Kris,' and that type of thing, it becomes a little more fanatical. Those of us who are a lot closer to him are proud of him and want what's best. It would be totally fine for him if he just came home."
Elliott said that Allen will be part of the summer concert tour all Idol finalists take part in and will almost undoubtedly release an album before the end of the year.
Would Allen be open to recording on something other than a Christian label? "Yes," Shatswell said. "I think he is open-minded about a particular genre or label."
Shatswell said New Life church has received attention because of Allen's success and agreed that his performance in front of large crowds may have helped him. New Life draws between 5,000 and 6,000 worshippers each Sunday between the two campuses where Allen has sung.
"I think the church is very, very excited and the community is very, very excited about what happens, but I don't think we have the mindset of what this necessarily does for us a church. We are pleased to have provided an environment that may have made him a little more prepared for performing in front of a large crowd," Shatswell said
ALLEN’S HOMETOWN ABUZZ WITH PRIDE OVER AMERICAN IDOL FINALIST
In another blog entry, Elliott writes that Carpenter, director of the Chi Alpha ministry at the University of Central Arkansas where Allen was enrolled, says: "I don't think my prayer is any different than it has been all along. My prayer is God will be able to use it (the American Idol show) and Kris will use the platform He has given him.
"I pray for Kris that this doesn't change him," Carpenter said. "It really doesn't need to. I think Kris feels God has entrusted him with everything he needs in life. It's an incredible feeling to see him use his gifts and talents for God's glory."
Elliott says that for those who know Kris Allen the initial amazement over seeing someone you know gain fame so quickly has passed, but the excitement associated with it hasn't.
"Around church, overall, everyone is really excited," explained Brandon Shatswell, New Life's worship pastor, adding that during the past couple of weeks more and more people around church began thinking that Kris really was going to win.
"It's not quite the same as earlier on. It's not the same shock factor as at first of seeing someone you know in that position. It's not as unbelievable to people."
Shatswell has spoke to Allen since he advanced to the final.
"He said, 'Dude, I never thought it would end up like this,'" Shatswell said.
"In post-show interviews I saw where he said the (final three of himself, Lambert and Danny Gokey) would all have good careers. I think that's true and he knows that's what this is really all about is having that great start to a career, but yeah, he's excited to have a chance to win."
Allen saw the depth and breadth of local support when he returned home a couple of weekends ago.
Sonja Keith is part owner of 501 Advertising and Publishing and member of the Kris Allen Kick Awesome Task Force comprised of local business and community leaders. The group had a large role in working with American Idol production staff in pulling off the visit, which drew large crowds at several locations.
"I was at several events Kris attended and I heard him say more than once, 'This is nuts,' Keith said. "He was taken aback and surprised by the reaction. Kris is a pretty humble person and had no concept of the amount of support people were sending his way."
Elliott said the galvanizing of local support was something remarkable to see to for Rachel Dickerson, who has covered the story in recent weeks for the local newspaper, The Log Cabin Democrat.
"The turnout for the homecoming was pretty incredible, and I don't think that's an exaggeration," Dickerson said. "For the story I did I talked to people who waited outside the arena at UCA at 5 or 6 in the morning and waited all day to hear him play one song. The whole crowd demanded he played another song and he did. The parade through downtown was pretty wild, too."
'Idol' host Ryan Seacrest mentioned to Allen and Lambert that 88 million votes were cast after last week's Tuesday edition of the show with just one million separating the two of them. For Shatswell, the local show of support was more significant.
"To see the viewing parties every week and watch the hometown visit being planned with the number of people involved, I was just blown away," he said. "To see that persistent effort and see people working their tails off for Kris who have no relationship to him outside of watching the show is remarkable."
What happens next for Allen is a summer tour with other 'Idol' finalists and an inevitable record deal. The hope for Conway in particular and Arkansas in general is a perceptual shift, said Elliott.
"I think this is going to have a long-term positive effect," Keith said. "When I travel around the U.S. and especially outside of the country, most people associate the state with Bill Clinton. I think that may change and people will associate Arkansas with Kris. He is such a great ambassador for the community."
Shatswell wasn't quite as sure if Allen's success would cause any long-term perceptual changes about Arkansas, but he echoed Carpenter's hope that Allen remains the regular guy he knows him as.
"I've heard people say from early on that Kris is someone we can be proud of on any level," he said. "That is for sure."
STUNNING AMERICAN IDOL VICTORY OPENS WIDE DOORS FOR KRIS ALLEN
After Wednesday night's final, Elliott wrote that Kris Allen’s stunning victory on the season finale of American Idol came as quite a surprise.
"Adam Lambert had been the front-runner for months, but like the horse that charges late in the race -- does the Kentucky Derby ring a bell? -- Allen came on fast and strong at the end," Elliott writes.
He believes that Allen may have split the 'mainstream' vote with Danny Gokey, nudging him in to the finals.
Allen’s homespun appeal apparently was the ticket that carried the day, Elliott writes.
"As shocked as I may be, Allen has a door of wide-open musical possibilities. His worship musician background could lead to a folksy brand of contemporary Christian music, although that genre seems in the short-term more likely for Gokey. Seeing Gokey cover a Casting Crowns tune on his first album, for example, would be a natural fit."
Elliott believes that Allen "could conceivably go down a country music road. He has the look and the guitar-playing flair, as his duet Wednesday with Keith Urban illustrated."
The blogger says the most important thing for Allen as his faith-walk begins a whole new dimension in stardom is to stay true to who he is.
As Matt Carpenter, director of the Chi Alpha ministry at the University of Central Arkansas where Allen performed, told Everyday Christian: "I pray for Kris that this doesn’t change him. It really doesn’t need to. I think Kris feels God has entrusted him with everything he needs in life. It’s an incredible feeling to see him use his gifts and talents for God’s glory."
IDOL FINALISTS KRIS ALLEN, ADAM LAMBERT DIDIN'T WANT FAITH-BASED VOTES
Elliott also writes that Kris Allen and Adam Lambert made it as clear as they probably could Monday in Los Angeles, 'Don’t focus on our faith perspective when you vote tonight for the American Idol winner,' they said, loud and clear.
According to Elliott, Allen had the most to gain by appealing to a Christian audience. "While he may do that during his career, for now he wants the focus on his voice,' he wrote.
"For me, I hope that having the Christian vote doesn’t help with anything," Allen said, according to the Associated Press. "I hope it has to do with your talent and the performance that you give and the package that you have. It’s not about religion and all that kind of stuff."
Writing for http://blog.newsweek.com , Ramin Setoodeh, says the Christian factor played a huge role in Allen's winning of the coveted American Idol title.
Setoodeh says that last week, rocker Adam Lambert's groupies, "…overlooked a possible roadblock to the title. Idol is the No. 1 show on TV at least in part because it's so family-friendly, and it also appeals to a large demographic of Christian viewers.
"These are the same fans who made High School Musical and Dancing With the Stars huge TV hits.
"Many of Idol's previous winners -- Jordin Sparks, Carrie Underwood, Ruben Studdard -- are devout Christians. Coincidence? Perhaps. But we don't know much about Lambert's faith, and that might hurt him with Christian voters. He could be extremely religious, but he's kept his religious beliefs quiet."
Setoodeh says that Lamberts two competitors, on the other hand, "are a different story.
"Kris Allen and Danny Gokey both introduced themselves as devout Christians who are very involved in their churches, and both have gotten substantial interest from Christian blogs and websites. In February, multifaith website www.BeliefNet.com reported that: 'Before Idol, Danny Gokey was the praise and worship leader at both Faith Builders International Ministry locations, in Beloit, Wisconsin, for the morning service and then he headed to Milwaukee for the afternoon service, as well as doing mid-week services. Faith Builders is his home church.' "
Setoodeh also says BeliefNet.com said: "Kris Allen has been working with the worship ministry at his home church, New Life Church in Arkansas, on both the Conway and Little Rock campuses since 2007. He is also involved with Chi Alpha Campus Ministries at the University of Central Arkansas."
He continued: "I wrote about how Adam (who hasn't spoken about his religious beliefs on the show) might be hurt by the fact that he was going up against two devout Christian finalists, Kris and Danny Gokey.
"Most of Gokey's fans probably ended up voting for Kris over Adam, giving him the boost he needed to win. You could say -- as many of you have in the comments -- that religion is an irrelevant criterion for judging a singing competition. But the fact remains that Idol is one of TV's most family-friendly shows, and it draws a large number of Christian viewers. Five out of seven of the past Idol winners have been very vocal about their Christian faith. Kris Allen had the edge here."
The Log Cabin Democrat at www.TheCabin.net says that on Wednesday night's finale, the top 14 Idol contestants performed together, and several of those who made it through more eliminations performed additional songs.
Allen performed "Kiss a Girl" with country music artist Keith Urban, and Lambert performed with Kiss. Top three contestant Danny Gokey performed with Lionel Richie. Other artists who performed included Cyndi Lauper, Carlos Santana, Queen Latifah, Rod Stewart and Steve Martin. Allen and Lambert teamed up with Queen to perform "We Are the Champions."
The internet newspaper stated: "Following the announcement that Allen was the winner, the crowd at Simon Park began screaming, jumping up and down, waving signs and generally celebrating. They did not stop for Allen's acceptance speech when he received the award or when he sang his final song.
"As the crowd began to disperse, cheers could still be heard around the park. Cars honked their horns as they drove around downtown."
According to the www.Krisallenation.com website, Kristopher Neil Allen was born June 21st, 1985, grew up in Jacksonville, Arkansas but now lives in Conway, attended College Station Elementary, Fuller Junior High, and Mills University Studies High School as a student in the gifted and talented program.
The site says Allen leads worship at New Life Churches in Central Arkansas and is a member of Chi Alpha at the University of Central Arkansas, and has taken part in missionary work in Morocco, Spain, Mozambique, South Africa, Thailand, and Burma.
Allen can play a variety of instruments, including the guitar, piano, viola, and ukulele, and started playing the viola in 4th grade, became All-State in high school and received opportunities to play in college orchestras, but declined. He is a fan of the Packers and the Braves, and even played varsity baseball throughout high school.
He is married to Katy Allen, a former homecoming queen at the University of Arkansas and is a business major at the UCA. He has one sibling, Daniel, has a Shetland sheepdog named Elvis (well, at least his mom and dad, Kim and Neil, do) -- and has one less rib that had to be surgically removed while he was in junior high school.
A PICTURE OF TRUE CHARACTER
A blog entry posted in April of this year, entitled "An Amazing Story About Kris," at http://www.krisallenation.com/2009/04/amazing-story-about-kris.html , says: "We heard a story about Kris that we felt we just had to share. As some of you may know, Kris has been on mission trips across the world to Spain, Morocco, South Africa, Mozambique, Burma, and Thailand.
"While the most predominant story that has circulated on the Internet has been Kris’s near death experience in Morocco when he fell gravely ill, this story is heart-warming and telling of Kris’s character. Please circulate this to your friends and family.
"Before traveling to Thailand, Kris decided that he wanted to bring along his new $700 guitar, a beautiful Takamine, that his parents had recently given him. Of course, Kris’s parents thought he should leave his prized-possession at home and go without this guitar. Promising to keep it safe, Kris chose to take the Takamine.
"During his trip across Southeast Asia, Kris managed to transport the guitar unharmed. But one day, Kris attended a worship service at a large refugee camp in Thailand. There was a local girl leading worship playing a guitar, though her guitar wasn’t compatible with the plug for the amps and most of the crowd had difficulty hearing. Without complete knowledge of why or what he was doing, Kris began to cry; and, feeling moved to act, he approached the stage and the girl. He laid down his guitar and plugged in his new, expensive guitar into the amp and walked away.
"Kris later called his parents, worried that they would be upset with him for having given away his new Takiname guitar. But, of course, the Allens were simply moved by Kris’s gesture and proud of the man they had raised. Now, on American Idol, Kris has received many free gifts from clothing designers and from the show, but none of which are more meaningful than a number of new, Takamine guitars."
The blog includes this quote from Kris's campus minister who led the mission trip: "The guitar that they had at the Karen refugee camp outside of Mae Sot Thailand was missing pegs and I think it only had 4 strings. Also, they were unable to tune it."
The blogger concludes: "Definitely a great story that speaks to Kris' character."
Links:
New Life Church: www.newlifechurch.tv
Chi Alpha: http://www.xauca.com
Kris Allen site at American Idol: www.americanidol.com/contestants/season_8/kris_allen/
Conway Log Cabin Democrat photo gallery: http://spotted.thecabin.net/galleries/index.php?id=328273
501 Life photo gallery: http://501adsandmags.zenfolio.com "
American Idol 7 Top 8 - Shout To The Lord (UNEDITED version)

"Just for the record the Shepherd is Jesus. Idol gives back "American Idol Top 8 Season 7 - Shout To The Lord

"'Healer' from the Album & DVD 'Saviour of the World'"
Related Sites:personal myspace siteWikipedia"is a Christian youth movement that began as an annual conference and grew into an international ministry and large church in Melbourne, Australia. The conference was born out of Paradise Community Church in Adelaide, South Australia by Pastor Russell Evans. Planetshakers expanded, and in 2004 moved to Melbourne to begin a church ministry (originally called Melbourne City Church). Planetshakers also has its own bible college which is located in several campuses throughout Australia."
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Hillsong London: You Are Here (The Same Power)- Song Story

Hillsong - You Are Here (The Same Power) - With Subtitles "Hear the story behind the song "You Are Here (The Same Power)" from Hillsong London's newest release, Hail To The King, available 10.28.08 "

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He is the first christian music artist I was introduced to when I became a Christian during my freshmen year in college in the Spring of 1999. I was given a tape by Saundra (Grand Marais, MN), a fellow sister in Christ in the floor below me at Clayton A. Gay Hall...